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Best New Albums Best New Tracks Best New Reissues News | Jamie Smith of the xx on Remixing Gil Scott-Heron, Working With Drake, New Music From the xx Advanced Search Departments Rising Interviews Photos 5-10-15-20 Echo Chamber Director's Cut Take Cover Top Tags New Releases Tours Audio Video Festivals WTF Best New Tracks Cut Copy: "Need You Now" Light Asylum: "Dark Allies" Purity Ring: "Ungirthed" Women: "Bullfight" Dirty Beaches: "Sweet 17" Smith Westerns: "All Die Young" Destroyer: "Kaputt" M.I.A.: "Bad Girls" Zoo Kid: "Out Getting Ribs" Lil Wayne: "Six Foot Seven Foot" [ft. Cory Gunz] Friday, January 28 Jamie Smith of the xx on Remixing Gil Scott-Heron, Working With Drake, New Music From the xx Tweet 
Photo by Mischa Richter
When Jamie Smith heard Gil Scott-Heron's distinctive drawl on his parents' stereo growing up, he never imagined releasing an album that featured his name alongside the revered poet's. But the upcoming remix LP We're New Here (out February 22 in the U.S. and February 21 in the UK on XL/Young Turks) features the sought-after xx producer putting Scott-Heron's voice over his own instrumentals, creating a dialogue between generations and styles.
Along with reworking tracks from Scott-Heron's 2010 comeback album I'm New Here-- which was produced by XL label boss Richard Russell, who conceived the remix record-- We're New Here features the 22-year-old Smith digging up some of the older Scott-Heron vocals he heard as a child, too.
Click on to read about Smith's concept behind We're New Here as well as some tidbits about the next xx album and hooking up with similarly minimal-minded Toronto rapper Drake:
Pitchfork: As a longtime fan of Gil's, were you nervous to take on this remix project?
Jamie Smith: It was a bit nerve-wracking because this is the first time I've ever done an album on my own. But I was really just eager to get at and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I didn't feel as nervous as I should've, probably.
Watch the video for "NY Is Killing Me" from We're New Here:
Pitchfork: Did you have any contact with Gil while making the album?
JS: Originally, I sent him the album and there were a couple of tracks he wasn't sure about. I had to write to him-- he does handwritten letters, not e-mail-- and explain why I wanted to use some of his older vocal tracks on the album.
I wanted to show the difference between him then and now as well as the difference between my taste then and now. The songs that use his voice from older records are influenced by the stuff I liked 10 or 15 years ago, mostly sample-based productions like RJD2. And I wanted the album to explain itself, like a DJ set. I wanted to represent Gil well, but also use his voice as my own.
So after I wrote him the letter, he said I was free to do whatever because he knew what I was doing.
Pitchfork: Have you met Gil?
JS: I briefly met him a few times at his gigs but we didn't get to talk about the album. He's just a very genuine guy, the same onstage as off. Very charismatic and also quite intimidating just because of who he is-- a lovely guy, but also kind of scary.
Listen to "I'll Take Care of U" from We're New Here:
Pitchfork: Are you working on the next xx album yet?
JS: At the moment, we're just making music, like we used to. We're not thinking about it in terms of what'll go on the album and what won't yet.
Pitchfork: Are you trying to stick to the same sound as the first album?
JS: I think it will definitely sound different than the last album and anything I've ever done, just because our ears have been opened to so much music. Two years ago, I wouldn't have dreamed of listening to most of the stuff I listen to now. Like, I wasn't interested in techno and house at all before but, when I was in Chicago, I bought a bunch of Dance Mania records from the 80s and 90s, and I've listened to a lot of that.
Pitchfork: You recently released a solo song called "Far Nearer". Is that part of a bigger project?
JS: Well, I'm making tracks I want to release as 12” singles but I'm not planning on making my own album.
Jamie Smith: "Far Nearer"
Pitchfork: In an interview, the producer and singer James Blake cited you as a strong influence on a lot of minimalist music that's coming out of England now. Do you pay attention to trends like that?
JS: Yeah, definitely. That's what's going on in London still. James is basically a contemporary, along with people like Mount Kimbie, Ramadanman, Pearson Sound, Joy Orbison. We all end up on a lot of the same bills together in London, and you get to know each other. There are a lot of producers in Brixton, where I just moved, so it's sort of a community.
Pitchfork: I hear you're working with the rapper Drake, too.
JS: Yeah, he was in London two weeks ago and we went to the studio. He played his new stuff, I played my new stuff. He's not just after making a hit album again, he really wants to make things we've never heard before. I think I'll be flying to New York or Toronto to work with him in a few weeks. I'm happy to try new things, that's what this year is about.
Posted by Ryan Dombal on January 28, 2011 at 3:05 p.m.Tags: Jamie Smith, Interviews, Gil Scott-Heron, The xx
Continue Reading ? News in Brief: The Death Set, Theophilus London, the Memory Band, Next Big Thing Festival Tweet
-- On March 25, Counter Records will release Michel Poiccard, the new album from Baltimore spaz-punks the Death Set. It's the band's first album since co-founder Beau Velasco died in 2009. Spank Rock producer XXXchange is behind the boards, and Spank Rock and Diplo contribute. Download the Diplo collab "Yo David Chase! You P.O.V. Shot Me in the Head" at Forkcast.
-- Genre-smashing Brooklyn rapper Theophilus London will release his Lovers Holiday EP February 8 via Warner Bros. Solange Knowles and Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara guest, and Dave Sitek and the Teddybears' Jocke Ahnuld contribute production. Hear the Solange collaboration "Flying Overseas" here.
-- British folk outfit the Memory Band, featuring members of Tunng, Lamb, and more, will release their new album Oh My Days February 7 via Hungry Hill. The album features covers of songs by Sandy Denny, Graham Bond, and Jeff Alexander.
-- HMV's Next Big Thing festival brings bands to eight UK venues February 4-13. Artists participating include James Blake, Anna Calvi, Little Dragon, Banjo or Freakout, Chilly Gonzales, Rose Elinor Dougall, and Pete and the Pirates.
Posted by Tom Breihan on January 28, 2011 at 2:35 p.m.
Tags: Theophilus London, New Releases, Next Big Thing, The Memory Band, Festivals, The Death Set
Rivers Cuomo to Release The Pinkerton Diaries Book, Alone III Outtake Collection in March Tweet
Last year, Weezer reissued their intense, personal 1996 sophomore album, the 10.0 classic Pinkerton. And in a couple of new releases, frontman Rivers Cuomo will let us know what was going on in his head while he was making Pinkerton.
At a press conference last fall, Cuomo detailed plans for The Pinkerton Diaries, a book that would collect much of his writing from the era surrounding the album. As Spinner reports, Cuomo said that the book would be "a collection of all my journals, emails, letters, photos, school papers-- everything from those years '94-'97, so you get an inside look as to exactly what I was thinking." He also talked about plans for a third album in his Alone series, which collects Cuomo's home recordings. This particular volume, Alone III, would focus on outtakes from the Pinkerton era.
At that press conference, Cuomo said that he hoped to release both The Pinkerton Diaries and Alone III in November. Then, in December, Cuomo wrote on his Facebook page that he hoped to release both in January and that they'd probably be available exclusively online. Yesterday, Cuomo uploaded a video to his YouTube account in which he shows off proofs of The Pinkerton Diaries, which looks to be heavy on handwritten notes and drawings. In the video, he also mentions that he's signing 500 posters for people who pre-order the book. And in the video description, he says that both The Pinkerton Diaries and Alone III will be out in March. Watch the video below.
In slightly less exciting Cuomo news, Billboard reports that he's recorded a duet with "iCarly" star (and former Jim O'Rourke collaborator) Miranda Cosgrove for Cosgrove's forthcoming EP. Talking to Billboard, Cosgrove says that the song is called "High Maintenance": "It's the first duet I've ever done, and it was really fun. My part of the song is this girl who's high maintenance, and Rivers is this guy who's having to put up with it. I really enjoyed working with [Cuomo]. He's really cool." (Worth noting: Cuomo is more than old enough to be Cosgrove's dad.)
Tags: New Releases, Weezer, Video, Collaboration, Rivers Cuomo
Continue Reading ? Behold: The Cover of Panda Bear's TomboyAlso: release date pushed up
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Panda Bear: "Slow Motion" (7" version)
Slow Motion
That right there is the cover of Panda Bear's forthcoming album Tomboy, which is out April 12 on Paw Tracks. (It's been pushed up a week so that it can be purchased on Record Store Day, April 16.) The art is by Lennox's Jane bandmate Scott Mou, who also did the covers for his recent singles.
Posted by Ryan Dombal on January 28, 2011 at 1 p.m.
Tags: Panda Bear, Paw Tracks, New Releases
Echo and the Bunnymen Play Classic LPs on TourCrocodiles and Heaven Up Here come to North America
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Dramatic, churning British new wave greats Echo and the Bunnymen will tour North America in May, playing their much-loved first two albums (1980's Crocodiles and 1981's Heaven Up Here) in full every single night. (None of this Weezer business where they only play a single album in a night.) And unless they return for encores, it also means they'll skip many of their biggest hits. They'll also play both albums in full at Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival. We've got all the band's dates below.
Echo and the Bunnymen:
04-16 London, England - Union Chapel (Ian McCulloch solo)
05-09 Boston, MA - Paradise
05-11 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-12 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
05-13 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
05-16 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Theatre
05-17 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
05-19 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
05-20 Las Vegas, NV - Red Rock Casino
05-21 Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia Theatre
05-22 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
06-25 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
Tags: Echo and the Bunnymen, Tours
Continue Reading ? Thurston Moore Releases Jack Rose Tribute Album Tweet
Vin Du Select Qualitite is a series of limited-edition, vinyl-only acoustic guitar albums curated by Steve Lowenthal of Swingset Magazine and Plastic Records. The series has already included records from Emeralds' Mark McGuire and Codeine/Come/New Year axemaster Chris Brokaw. And early this year, avant-rock godfather and Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore will release his own entry in the series, 12 String Meditations for Jack Rose.
Moore's instrumental album is a tribute to Jack Rose, the steel string guitarist who died of a heart attack in 2009. The VDSQ series also has new records in the works from Six Parts Seven member Allen Karpinski and young Ohio player Matthew Mullane.
Moore has also been working on a Beck-produced solo album called Benediction for Matador. And he'll also play at a pair of forthcoming festivals. He's at the Tanned Tin Festival, which is happening right now in Castellon, Spain. And alongside wife and Sonic Youth bandmate Kim Gordon, he'll give a lecture and a performance at the Mission Creek Festival, which comes to Iowa City, Iowa March 28 - April 4.
Posted by Tom Breihan on January 28, 2011 at 11:40 a.m.Tags: Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth, New Releases, Jack Rose
Continue Reading ? New Release: Bosco Delrey: Everybody Wah Tweet
Artist: Bosco Delrey
Album: Everybody Wah
Release Date: March 29
Label: Mad Decent / Downtown
Tracklist:
01 Baby's Got a Blue Flame
02 Get Outa Dodge
03 Don Haps
04 Lovely Sleepy Dead
05 All Are Souls The Same
06 Glow Go the Bones
07 Expelled Spelled Expelled
08 Archebold Ivy
09 Afterlife
10 Down We Go
11 Cool Out
12 Insta Love
13 20 Flight Dub
Notes: Debut LP from this electro-rock artist.
Media: Watch the "Space Junky" video here. Download Beastie Boy Ad-Rock's remix of "Evil Lives" here.
Posted by Larry Fitzmaurice on January 28, 2011 at 11:10 a.m.Tags: Downtown, Mad Decent, New Releases, Bosco Delrey
Continue Reading ? Video: Nicki Minaj and Drake: "Moment 4 Life" Tweet
Nicki Minaj's new video for "Moment 4 Life", her gooey-eyed Drake collaboration from Pink Friday, is top-shelf costume-party silliness on the level of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" video. The video tells a Cinderella story but cuts things off before things turn bad for Cinderella, so we get wigs and frilly dresses and lots of flirty stares from Drake without the humiliation of having to leave the party at midnight.
There's also a long skit at the beginning where Nicki, playing her own fairy godmother, has a British-accented conversation with herself. As Nicki's star continues to rise, she's going to keep getting big video budgets to indulge all her high-school drama-kid fantasies, and it's going to be fun. Drake should've been forced to wear a Prince Charming costume, though.
Watch the video below, via MTV.
Tags: Nicki Minaj, Collaboration, Video, Drake
Continue Reading ? Kanye West, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flaming Lips, the National, Cat Power to Play Lollapalooza ChileSantiago fest also includes Devendra Banhart, Jane's Addiction, the Killers
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As previously reported, Chicago's Lollapalooza Festival is going international this year, coming to South America for the first time ever. Lollapalooza Chile comes to Santiago's O'Higgins Park April 2-3, and now the festival's organizers have announced the lineup.
Kanye West, Jane's Addiction, the Killers, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs top the bill. Every one of those acts has headlined Lollapalooza's Chicago festival. Further down the bill, the lineup includes the Flaming Lips, the National, Cat Power, Devendra Banhart, Empire of the Sun, the Drums, Cold War Kids, CSS, Boys Noize, Fischerspooner, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Datarock, Ghostland Observatory, Fatboy Slim, Toy Selektah, and Cypress Hill, among others.
The American Lollapalooza will once again return to Chicago's Grant Park August 5-7.
Posted by Tom Breihan on January 28, 2011 at 9:50 a.m.Tags: Festivals, Lollapalooza
Continue Reading ? New Release: Katy B: On a Mission Tweet
Artist: Katy B
Album: On a Mission
Release Date: March 28
Label: Rinse
Tracklist:
01 Power on Me
02 Katy on a Mission
03 Why You Always Here
04 Witches Brew
05 Movement
06 Go Away
07 Disappear
08 Broken Record
09 Lights On [ft. Ms. Dynamite]
10 Easy Please ME
11 Perfect Stranger
12 Hard to Get
Notes: Debut album from this UK pop-dubstep singer.
Media: Listen to and watch the video for "Katy on a Mission" below.
"Katy on a Mission":
Posted by Larry Fitzmaurice on January 28, 2011 at 9 a.m.Tags: Katy B, New Releases, Rinse
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